Academic Press A Roadmap to Nonhematopoietic Stem Cell-Based Therapeutics: From the Bench to the Clinic

A Roadmap to Non-hematopoietic Stem Cell-Based Therapeutics: From the Bench to the Clinic is a resource that provides an overview of the principles of stem cell therapy, the promises and challenges of using stem cells for treating various clinical conditions, and future perspectives. The overall goal is to facilitate the translation of basic research on stem cells to clinical applications. The properties of stem cells from various sources are reviewed and the advantages and disadvantages of each for clinical use are discussed. Modifying stem cell properties through preconditioning strategies using physical, chemical, genetic, and molecular manipulation to improve cell survival, increase cell differentiation potential, enhance production of paracrine factors, and facilitate homing to the site of injury or disease upon transplantation are reviewed. Various routes of stem cell administration and dosing, and the duration of effects, are explored. Individual chapters are written by experts in the field and focus on the use of stem cells in treating various degenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases, wound healing, cardiovascular disease, spinal cord injury, oral and dental diseases, and skeletal disorders. Finally, experts in the regulatory arena discuss mechanisms used in different countries for approving the use of stem cells to treat diseases and many common issues that are typically encountered while seeking approval for this class of therapeutic agent. Offers advanced students, as well as new researchers, an overview of the principles of stem cell therapy Discusses a wide array of pressing clinical issues with stem cell-based therapies so that new ideas in the laboratory can be efficiently translated to the clinic through better designed clinical trials Helps clarify current regulatory mechanisms so that the safe use of stem cells for treating a variety of diseases can move forward Fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue between research scientists and physicians to accelerate the safe implementation of efficacious cell therapies Review A condensed resource that provides an overview of the field and facilitates development of stem cell-based therapies About the Author Xiao-Dong Chen, M.D., Ph.D. is currently a Professor in the Department of Comprehensive Dentistry and Chief of the Regenerative Medicine Program in the School of Dentistry at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is also the founder and Chief Scientific Officer of StemBioSys, Inc., San Antonio, Texas and a Visiting Professor at Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine. Dr. Chen received his M.D. from Shanghai Jiao-Tong University School of Medicine, subsequently entered General Surgery residency, and then served as a staff General Surgeon. He also has a Ph.D. in Hematology and Developmental Immunology and has pursued the study of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) since 1993. He received post-doctoral training in stem cell and skeletal biology at Yale University and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr Chen’s group was the first to establish a culture system, using cell-free native ECM, for expanding large numbers of high-quality non-hematopoietic stem cells (NHSCs) from various sources. To closely replicate the tissue specific microenvironment (niche) ex vivo, Dr. Chen and his team have extended their technology and developed 3D tissue-specific matrices for use in a variety of stem cell-based applications such as: 1) rejuvenating NHSCs from the elderly to establish a personal stem cell bank containing large numbers of high-quality autologous cells for treating age-related diseases; 2) inducing NHSC differentiation into the salivary gland epithelial cell lineage for repairing damaged salivary gland; and 3) enhancing the efficacy of bone marrow-derived MSCs for treating community-acquired pneumonia. The cell culture technology has